The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-12-15
SHARPSHOOTING.
The Experience of a Confederate
Soldier in the War.
How Federal'S Deadly Rifle
was Finally Silenced,

In passing in and out of the lines as q
scout, writes an cx-Confederate soldier
in the Detroit Free Press, saw more or
less of the sharpshootcrs of both armies,
and was twice wounded from Federal
rife-pits, but the closest and best shoot
ing of the sort ever saw was around
Petersburg.
At points around Petersburg, where
the lines of earthworks were only pistol
shot apart, the sharpshooter piled his
rifle night and day, and they became a
living terror to both sides was for
two weeks in the Confederate works,
opposite Grants Fort He'll, and al
though tons upon tons of Federal shot
and shell were hurled at us, we
lost more men by the bullet of
tho sharpshooters than by all
cannonading. In the Confederate
works, just above the fort which Butler
blew up and which has since been known
as tho Crater, the most effective cannon
was silcnccd for two days by Federal
sharpshootcr who ensconced himself
only stones throw away. I do not
know that the one man held the place
for two nights and two days, but we
judged SO from the style of firing, and
because when we were finally rid of HIM
no one else took his place. He crept
out from the Federal line in a dark and
rainy night, dug rifle pit, banked up
the dirt around it, and killed two of our
men between daylight and sunrise. He
had sixteen-shootcr rifle, and he gave
all his attention to one embrasure in the
fort and before noon tho piece of artil-
lcry at that embrasure was silcnced.
A round dozen Confederate sharp
shooters were detailed to kill the fellow
off, but he would not be killed. The
dirt was knocked about his ears in per-
feet clouds by bullets, and now and
then piece OF filled artillery sent a
shell plowing along over him, but he
was there to stay. When night came
we intended to creep out and kill Or
make him a prisoner, but 10! who,c
company was brought up and stationed
in the ravine just behind him, where
their fire would sweep the field around
his pit, and We had to turn to some
other plan. He was there in the morn
ing, and hekiled one man and wounded
a second before SO clock. Three pieces of
light artillery played on his pit until
the guns had fired a dozen shells each
| but he was unframed. 1t was plain
! that he had dug his pit so deep and
narrow that everything from our side
must pass over it, and it was certain
that we must try some other plan. Had
he been without close support three or
four men could have solved the problem
pretty quick, lut there were sharp
shooters by the hundreds ia his rear and
that rear so close that not hat could
show above our works without being
made the target of dozen bullets.
By noon Of the second day we had
had four men killed and five wounded
by the one Yankee rpshooter, and
the Colonel commanding had offered a
$50 gold piece to anyone who would
finish him off. He might have made it
$50, 900 for all we could do, as every
body had cudgclled his brains in vain
for plan. 1t was about 5 o'clock in
the afternoon that corporal belonging
to some field artillery stationed mile
or so above us on the lines came down
to see relative Of US, and when the sit
uation had been explained to him and
he had looked over the ground he said
"Give me an hours time and I'll have
him out and win that gold piece"
He returned to his command and
secured half dozen small fuse shells
belonging to mountain howitzer which
was then in park as of no account.
When they were brought up he made a
sling from the leather of bootleg and
two stout cords and then gathered a
dozen small stones to practice with.
While he flung these stones one of tho
men timed their fall, and in this way
he knew how to cut the fuses, The
| fifth rock, flung high in tht
air on a curve, as a mortar
would throw it, fell so close to thu
sharpshooter's pit that the corporal wa:
satisfied. He then cut his fuses and begay
throwing lighted shell. The weight o
them was about thirteen ounces, ani
while they did not fly rs high as tht
rocks, the curve was the same. We were
all satisfied as to what the result would
be. The fourth. shell dropped square
into the pit and exploded as it struck
and In the cloud of dirt blown out wa
the sharpshooters cap, the stock of hi
rifle and his canteen. Not another sho
was fired from the pit, nor did any Fed
eral dare occupy it again.
The Deadly Celtipede.
A centipede and tarantula whicl
unre founJ in n Il,tnoh of b,ra,,s :,